Borekas: Interview with Tikva Sasson

Welcome to my first interview with readers of Cooking Manager. Thanks to victim volunteer Tikva Sasson, who blogs at Aliyah Lift.

1. Please tell us about yourself and your family. Tikva Sasson, Ma’alot, Israel. I’m 41, Yitzhak, 43 – kids Shem Tov, 19, Bracha 17, Esther 14 and Nissim 8.
2. What do you remember about family meals when you were growing up? What was your mother’s cooking style (if she did the cooking)? My Mom, Judy (of blessed memory), was a pretty good cook who enjoyed giving formal dinner parties. Her style was eclectic: Italian, Japanese, Mexican.  My Dad taught me how to make quesadillas, polenta and bulgur pilaf.
3. How is your cooking style different from that of your mother? I’m vegetarian.
4. How did you learn to cook? My Mom, Dad,  and cookbooks. I started cooking as a very young child.
5. Do you entertain, and in what circumstances? Mostly by having people for the Sabbath and holidays. I would like to throw outrageous parties but never do!
6. What is the biggest party or meal you have hosted to date? My son’s bar mitzvah. We did dinner for over 50 at our house.
7. Can you share a typical daily menu? Weekly menu? LOL! I’m too impulsive for menus! But here are some common things we make and eat: Black Bean Soup, homemade bread with cheese and salad, lentils and rice, curried anything, real mac and cheese you know with the white sauce and cheese, lentil soup, garbanzo and vegetable soup, rice and salad-y things like guacamole , chummus, Israeli salad, homemade pizza, and sambousek w/garbanzo filling….
8. How has your cooking style evolved over the years? I used to cook more complicated things. Now I do things simply for the most part.
9. What is your biggest cooking challenge now? Trying to find ideas!
10. Can you recommend any cookbooks, TV shows or websites that have inspired you? (Besides CM, of course!).  Tassajara Cooking, Moosewood Cookbook, Laurel’s Kitchen
11. What posts on CM have you enjoyed? I really like the things about your mom and your childhood. Suggestions for future posts? More inspiration and discussion on what to make.
12. Please share a favorite recipe. Borekas with the old fashioned dough.

Borekas

Dough Ingredients

• 1 cup oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 5 cups flour

Directions for Dough

1. Bring oil, water and salt to a boil.
2. Let cool till tepid.
3. Add all flour all at once and mix well. You should have a soft, easily pliable dough

Your choice of fillings:

• Feta cheese
• Kashkaval and mashed potato
• Eggplant
• Mushroom
• Onion

Forming the Borekas:

Take a walnut-sized piece of dough and form it into a disk. Add filling, fold over and seal tightly pressing out air.
Bake for about 40 minutes at 375° F or 180° C, until brown.

Thank you so much, Tikva, for your answers and the recipe. The only ethnic food in my house, except for Eastern European, were LaChoy Chinese noodles in a can. I think I was in my twenties when I first heard of quesadillas.

If you’d like to be interviewed, please write to me: [contact-form][contact-field label=’Name’ type=’name’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Email’ type=’email’ required=’1’/][contact-field label=’Website’ type=’url’/][contact-field label=’Comment’ type=’textarea’ required=’1’/][/contact-form] .